The Summoner's Stone
by Findel
Summary: Lina is a slave to a local baron. She wishes for her freedom and the power to take revenge. What happens when her wish is finally granted when she gets a hold of a summoner's stone and finds out she is a part of the line of legendary summoners.
1. Realization

**The Summoner's Stone**

**Chapter: 1**

**Realization**

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This is something oddball that shot out of my head on a 13 hour plane ride back to the states. Hope you all enjoy.

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She toiled over her work as the sun began to set behind the mountains. The light was leaving the land but that was no excuse to stop working. The masters would want as much work done as possible before the day was done. She sighed as she placed another gem in the setting she had been working on all day. Before finishing the setting she wiped the sweat from her brow as the heat of the day was finally going away. Her red hair was dirty and slightly matted down from the dirt and sweat. Her red eyes seemed dull as she looked at her work. Her commoner's clothing was worn and tattered as she sat at her work bench. Lina Inverse had been born a commoner and her family was held as property of the local baron. How she had the nobility and those that had caused so much pain for her and her family. 'Well, I guess it's just me now,' she thought as the memories of her family being sold to another noble family.

She gritted her teeth as the memory would not go away, 'I would've been sold along with them but they couldn't give up there best jeweler could they?'

If there was any way she would make the nobility pay for the sins they had committed against her. As he anger was building there came a knock at the door. She looked up to see one of the bosses standing in the doorway with a bejeweled box under his arm. He snorted slightly before saying, "Serf! This is your next project. The baron wants this stone set in an amulet before the end of tomorrow."

Lina nodded and put on her best smile before accepting the box for the man. She waited until he had left before she set the box down on her desk. Lina could not hold back anymore and laid her head down on the desk and began to weep as she felt sleep beginning to take her.

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Lina awoke in the middle of the night as she felt something warm next to her. She opened her groggy eyes to see a pale blue light seeping through her crossed arms. She moved to sit up as her eyes tried to adjust to the light. Her red, matted hair hung over into her eyes and blocked some of her view. She moved the rough hair out of the way to see the pale blue was coming from inside the bejeweled box she was given. She reached forward and grabbed the box before pulling it closer to her. She flipped the clasp and opened the box to be met with a large, oval sapphire. She marveled at the craftsmanship of the stone as it was perfectly rounded. She quickly struck a match and lit a new candle as she looked for a setting. She found a perfect setting for the stone and began her work. 'This will be a great piece of jewelry,' she thought as her love for jewelry took over her mind.

Lina began to work and before she knew it an hour had pass and she had the sapphire set in a amulet to be worn around the neck. Lina brought the stone up to her before clutching it to her chest. 'If only I could sell my own work...I wouldn't be anyone's slave if I could make money,' she thought before the gem started glowing again.

Lina pulled the gem away and looked as the glow became brighter. The glow was so bright that Lina moved away and fell off of her stool and dropped the stone. After she landed hard on her rear Lina looked up to see the jewel floating in mid air before it pulsed and gave off a blinding flash. After Lina recovered from the flash she looked up to see the stone being held in the hand of a man dressed in ivory. She stared at him before her wits came back to her and she jumped to her feet before saying, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

The man was dressed head to toe in ivory and the darkness masked his features from Lina. He was a least a foot taller than her and what looked like blue hair came out from under the deep hood that hid his face. After her demand the man opened his eyes to reveal two sapphire blue, silted eyes. Lina's eyes went wide at his eyes before backing up before asking, "What...what kind of demon are you?"

The man looked down at Lina before moving forward. He stopped right in front of her before kneeling and holding the stone out to Lina before asking, "Why do you fear your servant?"

"What," was all Lina could ask as she looked back at this mysterious man.

The man pulled his hood back to reveal his face. His hair was sliver and looked like wire. His face was a deep blue and had botches on it that looked like stones. His radiant sapphire eyes looked into Lina's before saying, "I'm Zelgadis. Spirit of earth and the spirit locked into this stone until I was found by a summoner."

Lina's eyes grew wide before her mind began to race, 'The summoners are just a legend though...no one has heard of one in ages...I can't be one can I?'

Zelgadis nodded before saying, "Yes, you are a natural born summoner. It is only because of that that I am able to manifest. Now, what is your command master?"

Lina stood before patting herself off. She smiled as this is what she had wished for. This was the way to free herself from the nobility. "Come with me Zelgadis," Lina replied as she walked out of her small hut of a home.

* * *

Lina finished sneaking up to the baron's castle before finding a spot on the wall that she wanted. She pointed at the wall before saying, "This is the west wall of the treasury. If you can get me inside you will have served me well."

Zelgadis nodded before placing his hand on the wall. The wall gave off a blue glow before a doorway formed out of the wall and opened. Lina smiled as she entered the castle and it grew as all the gold and jewels kept there met her eyes. Lina jumped onto a pile of coins before rolling and saying, "This is what I want."

"So did I just open a door for you to wallow around in the treasure or are you going to take some. Lina stuck her tongue out at him before saying, "Let me enjoy my victory."

Lina found a bad and began to pile coins and jewels into the bag. After she had filled the moderate sized bag she walked back outside and commanded Zelgadis to repair the wall. Lina then began to walk down the road. Zelgadis floated next to her before saying, "You might want to wear this."

Lina looked at the necklace and smiled. She lowered her head and let Zelgadis put it on her. Lina continued to walk while Zelgadis said, "If you need me just summon me and I will answer my master."

Lina watched as Zelgadis disappeared before she clutched the stone and thought, 'This is wonderful. Now I can take my revenge and live the life I want. Zelgadis...I think this is the start of a beautiful and bountiful friendship.'

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Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from **The Slayers** do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.

Feedback is requested, please send all comments to size=1 width=100% noshade> 


	2. Zelgadis

**The Summoner's Stone**

**Chapter: 2**

**Zelgadis**

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Here's more to the story and we start having some fun.

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Lina walked down the dirt road not really caring where she was going. She was finally free of her shackles and could not be happier. She smiled as she looked down at the new clothes that the stolen money had helped to buy. She was dressed in a fuschia shirt of which the end hung down almost like a mini-skirt. Her leggings were that exact same color which ended stuffed into brown boots. Her outfit was accentuated by a yellow breast band over the top of the shirt at the chest line and some yellow shorts that went over the leggings. Her hands were covered with white gloves that came to her elbows. The outfit was topped with two bejeweled belts that held her rapier in place and large shoulder pads that connected her cape to her. The shoulder pads had settings for jewel but nothing had been placed within. Lina smiled while thinking, 'If I find any more stones then I'll be able to place them in the shoulder pads.'

"I would be careful on that...not all of us spirits act the same and you could wind up with a lunatic for a companion," came the somber tenor of Zelgadis as he sat cross-legged in mid-air floating behind Lina.

Lina looked back at him glared before saying, "Didn't I tell you not to float around? What if someone sees you?"

"And, I've explained that I can make it to where only you can see and hear me while I'm not using my powers," Zelgadis replied.

Lina shrugged before turning around and thinking. After a moment she smiled and asked, "Hey Zel, can I actually wield any of that power or do I have to summon you each time?"

Zelgadis yawned. He was not supposed to be a teacher...but then again she seemed to be the only summoner left and she had no clue about her birthright. "You don't have to summon me. All of my powers are at you command as long as the stone is in your possession. My last master had two of us and summoned me as a shield while wielding the other stone's powers."

Lina felt her stomach almost tie in knots. She hated that word. She could not stand to hear someone calling someone else master. It had taken her a good hour of arguing to get Zelgadis to stop and just call her by her name. She knew that it was wrong to keep a servant but at the same time it seemed Zelgadis was all too willing to be under her control. 'What else am I supposed to do? I mean it's not like I can set him free. All that will do is put him back to sleep...I guess all I can do is use this power to my advantage,' Lina thought as they continued to travel down the road.

Zelgadis watched his new master as she continued down the road. He knew that she hated the idea of a master but that is how things worked in the world of the summoners. The summoner was the master and commander of the elemental spirits that had been locked into the summoner stones. Zelgadis did not have a problem with his station for it was his form and function to serve anyone who could allow him to manifest. But, what would this relationship do to the one that had awaken him, 'I don't know what has happened to you...but if you continue at this level you are going to be your own worse enemy,' he thought of Lina as he continued to follow down the road.

After another hour of traveling Lina crested a hill and looked down into the valley to see a small village that looked to be prospering. She smiled before yawning a stretching her limbs. "Well, time to get an inn room for the night," Lina said before she heard, "Where do you think you are going kid?"

Lina's anger rose at being called a kid and she turned to be met with a pack of bandits. She looked at them before saying, "Look, I was just minding my own business. If you want to make money why don't you go pick on the nobility they have all of it."

The bandits laughed before coming closer and saying, "Are you crazy little girl? The nobility have guards and they are well trained. If we were to go after them we'd be outmatched and outnumbered. Much easier picking on helpless little girls."

"Why you," Lina shouted before thrusting her hands forward.

The stone let off a glow as two massive chunks of stone flew out of the earth and at the bandits. The bandits began to scatter as the stone burst in the air into smaller stones that went after each of the bandits. After a few moments bandits laid all about as they had been beaten unconscious by an angry Lina and her heat seeking stones. Lina smiled as she went to move forward. Her vision spun and she felt herself weakening. 'I'm going to fall,' she thought as her legs gave out.

Before Lina hit the ground she felt something catch her and she looked up to see Zelgadis. She looked down to see his arms cradling her as he stood and brought her next to him. Zelgadis turned and began to walk down the hill with Lina in his arms. "I...can...walk," Lina replied not wanting to be carried by anyone.

Zelgadis looked down at her and sighed before saying, "No, you cannot. You expended a lot of power on those bandits and now your body is worn out. Remember that the energy used in the summon magic comes from you and your body can only take so much until it gets used to this and then begins to become stronger."

Lina looked up at Zelgadis and grabbed a hold of his shirt to get his attention, "Zelgadis I command you..."

Zelgadis interrupted before she could finish, "I'm going to have to ignore my master's orders because her pride will get her hurt."

Lina ground her teeth at the word. She could not stand that word. 'But, I just tried to act like I am his master,' Lina thought as her mood grew dark.

Zelgadis could feel Lina's mood change as he was connected with the young girl more than he had let on. He sighed as he felt her mentally beat herself up for acting like what she hated. He did not understand how the master and servant relationship worked in this new age but he had never endured something to make him hate his former masters like Lina hated her own. He guessed he would have time to explore the differences but for now he needed to get her to a place she could rest. 'I don't want to go back to sleep after just waking up,' he thought to himself as it had been quite a while since he had been awake.

It took him thirty minutes to get to the village and during that time Lina had gone silent. Zelgadis looked down to see she had fallen asleep in his arms and he could not help but smirk. 'I told you you used too much energy,' he thought.

Zelgadis walked into the inn and moved to the front desk. He rang the bell at the desk while still balancing Lina in his arms. Soon a chubby older man appeared from the back and asked, "What can I..."

His sentence stopped short to be met with a young girl; asleep, and a tall masked and cloaked man carrying her. The masked man cleared his throat and said, "We would like a room."

The inn keeper shook himself out of his stupor and replied, "Of course. They are a silver a night."

Zelgadis reached into Lina's bag of ill-gotten gains and pulled out a silver piece. He paid the man and took the key. Zelgadis carried Lina up the stairs and into the room before closing the door. He laid Lina down on the bed before locking the door. He turned and noticed that the shoulder pads could not be comfortable. He moved back to the bed and sat Lina up before he worked on removing the clasp from around Lina's neck. After taking the shoulder pads off he placed them beside the bed. Zelgadis was about to lay Lina back down when he looked down at the stone that was his link to the material world. He could not help but appreciate the work Lina had done to make the stone a home within gold. It was at this moment that Lina began to move as if she was waking up.

Lina's eyes slowly opened to be met by Zelgadis. She smiled slightly before her wits came back to her. First, she felt Zelgadis' arm wrapped around her back. Now this really was not a huge problem but then Lina's eyes noticed that Zelgadis was looking a little south of her face. Lina looked down to see where he was looking and her face went bright red. Lina cocked her arm back and slammed her fist into Zelgadis' face causing the spirit to go flying into the opposite wall. Lina grit her teeth as the pain shot through her fist because it felt like she just hit stone. She shook her hand before saying, "What the hell are you actually made out of stone?"

Zelgadis sat against the wall and shook his head before looking at Lina and saying, "What the hell was that for?"

Lina glared at Zelgadis, forgetting the pain in her hand, and shouted, "Don't act like you don't know. That's what you get for staring at my chest so blatantly."

Zelgadis cocked an eyebrow before raising to his feet and saying, "Can I help it if my link to this world is nestled lovingly in your bosom? I look down at the stone for a second and you belt me."

Lina huffed and looked away from Zelgadis before saying, "Some excuse. For a elemental your quite a pervert."

Zelgadis glared at Lina but restrained himself before saying, "I think now is a good time for me to retire. Call if you need anything...master."

Lina spun to glare at Zelgadis but the elemental had disappeared with his parting jab. Lina pulled her knees under her chin as she tried to convince herself that she was not the same as the nobility that had enslaved her for so long.

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Night had come and Lina had fallen asleep in her curled up position on her side. She sleep peacefully after fighting back tears at the jab that Zelgadis had left her. She would never admit it...would never tell that one word caused so much pain. As Lina slept the stone at her chest began to glow. Zelgadis appeared in the room and looked down at the unconscious Lina. He frowned before grabbing the blankets at the bottom of the bed and covered Lina with them. He sighed before sitting down on the bed and looking at Lina's form. He reached out and brushed her bangs from her face before saying, "Seems both of us can have tempers."

He moved his hand across Lina's cheek before saying, "I'm sorry for that last bit...," before fading back into sleep himself.

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Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from **The Slayers** do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.

Feedback is requested, please send all comments to size=1 width=100% noshade> 


	3. Her Name is Ruby

**The Summoner's Stone**

**Chapter: 3**

**Her Name is Ruby**

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I've had quite an inspiration for this fic. At first I wasn't sure were I was going to take it but now I know and it will continue.

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He walked down the wide hallway of the castle. He moved in a fluid motion as his black cape swayed behind him. His dark blue eyes looked forward with an intense gaze as long, gray hair sway behind him. The man was know as Mezer the court advisor. He was the main counsel to the young princess that had just taken over the thrown from her father. He smirked as he thought of how he was the true power behind the throne. 'The young princess is very trusting and as long as I keep her separated from the public then I can guarantee that this will be my kingdom,' Mezer thought as he opened the door to the princesses chambers.

The young princess was a girl of about thirteen to fourteen years of age. Her raven hair came out in wings on the sides of her head and her blue eyes looked at her advisor with a gleam of innocence. She stood from the table on the veranda and walked towards Mezer before saying, "Good morning Mezer. What is on the agenda today?"

Mezer bowed before saying, "My Queen today the tax bill is coming back into the house of lords. It must not pass."

"Why? I thought it was to lower taxes on the peasants," the young princess Amelia Wil Tesla Sailoon asked in confusion.

Mezer cleared his throat before saying, "While that is a nice idea the kingdom cannot support such a tax cut at this moment. First, we need to build up the treasury and then cut down on useless services before we can give the peasantry a break."

Amelia nodded before looking back outside. "I understand. You are wise Mezer and I will follow your advice," Amelia replied.

"Yes, my Queen. I'll leave you for now until the bill is to be voted on," Mezer replied as he walked out of the room.

He smiled wickedly as he walked down the hall and thought, 'This is my kingdom.'

* * *

Lina walked up a rocky trail as she climbed over the mountain she had been traveling past. It had been almost a month since she had discovered the stone that held the essence of Zelgadis the earth elemental. She had been practicing with the power that Zelgadis provided her and she was learning quite a lot of control. 'That and if doesn't help that I seem to get attacked by bandits almost everyday. What are the nobility doing if not taking care of bandits,' she asked herself.

"Probably hoping that the peasants will continue to go against each other and not against them," came Zelgadis' voice as he appeared behind Lina.

Lina huffed though she knew that Zelgadis was probably right. Over the month Lina had come to understand the elemental a bit more and she knew that Zelgadis was a rather logical and rational being. And, if Zelgadis thought something about a situation he was not too far from the truth. Lina stopped towards the top of the mountain and sat for a rest. She sighed as she looked down at the valley below. "If only I could do something about the damn nobles," she said to herself.

Zelgadis looked at Lina as he floated in front of her in a sitting position. "Why can't you do anything? You are a summoner. You control a power that no one has seen in ages," Zelgadis replied to his master.

Lina sighed as she looked up at the blue elemental and replied, "That's not the problem. I need more than me if I'm to stand up to them. I'll need a team if I truly want to succeed."

"Well, may I suggest that you conceal your identity. It will protect you and at the same time win converts because of the idea of a mysterious hero," Zelgadis replied.

Lina nodded before standing and saying, "Well then I need to find some materials in the next town."

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Two days later found Lina in a decent sized town were she had acquired a few raw materials that she needed to make the item she had in mind. The only piece she had gathered from elsewhere was a giant ruby she had craved from a cave in the mountains. She was in her inn room away from prying eyes. "Zelgadis I'm going to need your help," Lina called.

Zelgadis appeared and looked over Lina's materials. The giant ruby, two small sapphires, and a bronze helmet with leather padding inside it. Zelgadis raised an eyebrow before asking, "What are you planning on doing?"

"I want to meld the ruby around the helmet and then use the sapphires as the eye sockets," Lina replied as she picked up the ruby and placed it on top of the helmet.

Zelgadis placed his hands on top of Lina's hands and said, "Concentrate on what you want and it will happen."

Lina closed her eyes and began to envision the ruby begin to melt and ooze over the bronze helmet. She then pictured the liquid ruby taking the form of the helmet before solidifying back into the stone as it became one with the helmet. Lina opened her eyes and gasped as she moved away quickly. Lina looked at the helmet and could not bring herself to believe that the helmet and ruby had become one like she had wanted that easily. Zelgadis looked at Lina before asking, "Is it that surprising? You have a great deal of control even though this magic is new."

Lina moved back to the helmet before grabbing the sapphires and placing them in front of the eyes in the helmet. Before Lina could thing about what she wanted the sapphires attached themselves to the sockets and formed lenses for the helmet that she wanted. Lina smiled before picking up the helmet and placing it over her head. Once the helmet came to rest Lina looked out of the sapphire lenses to see the world in an odd blue hue. She smiled as she looked at Zelgadis to see a light aura formed around him. 'Good I can tell if people have any magic on them with this,' she thought before saying, "This is pretty good work."

Zelgadis moved forward and before Lina could ask he placed his hands on both sides of the helmet. Lina looked at Zelgadis as he closed his eyes and concentrated. Before Lina knew what had happened the blue vision was gone and the weight of the helmet was gone as well. Lina looked around in a panic as the helmet was gone. She grabbed Zelgadis before shaking him and asking, "What did you do?"

Zelgadis placed his hands on Lina's before replying, "Don't worry. All you have to do is think of the helmet and it will come back. I just made it so you don't have to carry it around and hide it when you are not going to be playing the part of your alter ego."

Lina closed her eyes and thought of the helmet. She felt a weight on her head and opened her eyes to see the blue hue of the sapphire lenses. She sighed with relief that all of her hard work had not gone to waste and focused on hiding the helmet. The helmet disappeared and Lina could not help but smirk at Zelgadis before asking, "Why are you being so helpful? I got the feeling you did not like having to teach me everything I should know."

Zelgadis stepped back before sighing and saying, "I realized that I need to help you. I can't let you die or be captured because then my own existence would be in danger. In other words we are partners in crime."

Lina smiled before extending her hand and saying, "Glad to have you abroad Zel."

Zelgadis returned the gesture before asking, "So what will you call yourself when you are wearing the helmet?"

Lina thought for a second before the helmet reappeared on her head and she chuckled slightly before saying, "I will be known as Ruby."

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Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from **The Slayers** do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.

Feedback is requested, please send all comments to size=1 width=100% noshade> 


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